Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 51 The Second Greatest Villain in the World

Upon learning that Jiang Mingzhe had come to Southern Xinjiang to avenge their daughter, Granny Rui and Granny Ping beamed with joy.

Granny Rui then said, "Although young master is young and promising, he is still somewhat weak and alone. By sheer coincidence, we have also come to Dali. Once we capture that wretch, we will come to help young master in his endeavors."

Jiang Mingzhe seized the opportunity to say, "Just now, a black horse swept past me. Could the rider be the wretched woman the old women are trying to catch? Sigh, if I had known, I would have caught her with one swipe, saving the old women some trouble."

Granny Ping chuckled, "Young master can't predict the future. Besides, that little wretch's martial arts skills are alright, but her hidden darts are exceptionally sharp. The poison on the arrow is lethal upon contact with blood, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to escape all the way from Suzhou to here..."

He then explained his mission, which Jiang Mingzhe already had some recollection of, and upon hearing it, he immediately remembered the plot:

The foolish woman Qin Hongmian, under the influence of Gan Baobao, traveled thousands of miles to kill Madam Wang. There were only two of them, her daughter and herself. When they arrived in enemy territory, they even split up. The mother disappeared without a trace, leaving behind her unfortunate child, Mu Wanqing, who was chased all the way back to Yunnan...

After Granny Ping finished speaking, Granny Rui invited, "That little slut is quite cunning. Granny Ping and I are old and have fallen for her schemes several times along the way. Young Master Jiang is clever and capable. If you can help us capture that little slut first, we will surely succeed in one fell swoop. Then we can help Young Master Jiang deal with the Duan family. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"

Jiang Mingzhe thought for a moment: According to his own words, dealing with the Duan family was not an urgent matter. If he could establish a good relationship with Madam Wang, whose Mantuo Manor possessed countless secret manuals from the Langhuan Jade Cave, would she have the nerve to refuse him access when he visited in the future?

Some people may think that martial arts training should be focused, and mastering one skill can make you successful in any field. However, in Jiang Mingzhe's view, it is fine to focus on only a few skills, but it is never a bad thing to have a broad knowledge base.

By using his own way of thinking and studying various martial arts schools, he can usually summarize some general principles. Even if he can't reach the level of Dugu Qiubai, can't he at least become a male version of Wang Yuyan?

In addition, he had another idea: Mu Wanqing had returned to seek refuge with Gan Baobao. Gan Baobao and her husband were local tyrants in the area. If he could take the opportunity to capture the disciples or servants of Wanjie Valley, wouldn't it be easy to find the valley where Zhongling caught the snake?
Thinking this through, she nodded decisively: "Since you have invited me, I will certainly accept. However, I am new to the world and lack experience in the martial arts world. I am afraid that I might jeopardize your important matter, Senior Sister."

Granny Rui said happily, "Absolutely not! With Granny Ping in charge of the overall situation, and the young master filling in the gaps, there's nothing to worry about."

Jiang Mingzhe was now officially a member of the team. The two old women were overjoyed and ordered the two people Jiang Mingzhe had killed to be buried, without showing any unusual expression on their faces.

Seeing that the two old women were still respectful and polite, most of the others tried to curry favor with them, and not a single person spoke up for the two who had died.

Jiang Mingzhe exchanged pleasantries with these people, but inwardly he sighed: It is said that the Xingxiu Sect is full of villains, but there are countless villains in the world, and it is not limited to the Xingxiu Sect.
Or perhaps it's just that the Starry Sky Sect's system couldn't support hypocrites, so they all became true villains.

During the conversation, it was learned that most of these people were martial arts practitioners from the Jiangnan region. Some were direct subordinates of the Mantuo Manor, while most were from peripheral forces, and a few were skilled martial artists recruited from the Southern Frontier with high salaries.

Someone in the group was skilled at tracking, and he identified the horses' hooves as he led the group through the woods. Before long, it got dark, and they set up camp to rest.

Two days passed in this way, and they still did not emerge from the forest. The hoofprints came and went, seemingly deliberately leading everyone in circles.

Since his transmigration, Jiang Mingzhe has gradually discovered that his sense of urbanization is not compatible with that of ancient times, so he was completely unaware of it.

Granny Rui noticed something amiss and stopped the group, saying, "This little slut suddenly set up a maze, which probably means we've gotten close to her lair. We should split into several teams to search. Once we find her, don't engage her in battle, just send out a signal and everyone can surround and capture her!"

After saying this, she took out several fireworks as thick as an arm from her package and divided the thirty-odd people into five teams, each with six or seven people. Jiang Mingzhe, being of noble status and highly skilled in martial arts, also became a team leader and received a firework. Granny Ping drew her sword and spun off large pieces of bark from more than ten trees around her, pointing and saying, "Within two days, whether you find it or not, return here to regroup."

The two old women gave Jiang Mingzhe extra instructions to be careful, and the group split up. Jiang Mingzhe led the remaining six people, randomly choosing a direction and walking for about ten miles, when they heard the sound of water gradually increasing. They wondered, "Such a loud sound of water shouldn't be just a stream. Could we have reached the Lancang River?"

After walking a little further, the view suddenly opened up, emerging from the dense forest to see a vast expanse of water rushing between two mountains. An iron suspension bridge spanned the river, and next to it was a stone inscribed with the words "Good People's Ferry".

Of the six people following Jiang Mingzhe, two were subordinates of Mantuo Manor, three were head镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) of Suzhou Huwei Escort Agency, and the last one was a Yi swordsman named Mu Nai, one of the martial artists hired by Granny Rui and others from the southern border to guide them.

Munai could speak Mandarin, though her accent was a bit strange. Pointing to the opposite bank of the river, she stammered, "There, Wuliang Mountain, shall we go look for it?"

One of the subordinates of Mantuo Manor said, "Young master, since we've come this far, why not go to the other side and look for her? Maybe that bitch is hiding there and is deliberately trying to distract us from here."

Jiang Mingzhe was also planning to go to the other side. Since the view was blocked on this side, he wanted to look back from the other side, hoping to find the place where he had landed. That would make it much easier to find the canyon where he and Azi parted ways.

He nodded and said, "Okay, let's go take a look on the other side."

So the group of seven went up the iron chain bridge. The bridge was extremely simple, with a total of four iron chains. Two chains were at the bottom, with wooden planks laid on them for people to walk on, and the other two chains served as handrails.

As soon as they stepped onto the bridge, the iron chains swayed violently, and the river water surged and roared like thunder beneath their feet. Even though the seven men were skilled in martial arts, they dared not be careless in the slightest and held tightly to the iron chains as they walked slowly.

Upon reaching the middle of the river, another person suddenly walked onto the bridge from the opposite side. The镖师 (bodyguard/escort) at the head of the group immediately flew into a rage and shouted, "Hey, are you blind? Can't you see so many of us coming? Wait for us to cross before you go. Are you trying to delay your journey to your death?"

The man opposite wasn't very tall, but he had a terrible temper. He immediately roared, "Yeah, I want to die! Damn it, come and kill me!"

Jiang Mingzhe's expression changed. The other party's shout was as loud as thunder, drowning out the sound of the water. It echoed through the mountainside, filling his ears with the rolling echoes of "Kill me! Kill me!"

The others were also shocked, thinking that this person's internal strength was outrageous. How unlucky we were to encounter such a person in the middle of nowhere.
The bodyguard who had just been cursing was now weak in the knees and immediately cried out, "I didn't mean anything by it, it's just that this bridge is too narrow and I'm afraid we'll block your way, sir."

The man roared, "With your few pieces of material, you think you can stop me, the Crocodile God of the South China Sea?"

Having said that, he took off running, his momentum like that of a wild bull. The iron chain bridge immediately swayed violently, but the man's steps were unusually steady, as if he were walking on flat ground.

Jiang Mingzhe's face turned pale. He thought to himself, "Oh my god, I should have checked the almanac before I went out. How could I have encountered this monster!"

However, the opponent was moving incredibly fast, and it would be impossible for him to retreat in time. Gritting his teeth, he had no choice but to try anything, and shouted loudly, "Hey! Could the one who comes be the famous Crocodile God of the South Sea, the second most evil person in the world?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the man rushed to the middle of the bridge, grabbed the cursing镖头 (bodyguard/escort) by the neck, pressed his right hand against his head, snapped his neck with a crack, and threw him into the river. Only then did he look up, looking at Jiang Mingzhe with a half-smile, and said, "Pretty boy, what did you call me just now?"

(End of this chapter)